During the 50 years in which "The Gerontologist" has been publishing, the politics of aging in the United States has undergone distinct changes. The political behavior of older individuals has remained largely the same even though different birth cohorts have succeeded each other in populating the ranks of older people. But the politics…

In the months following the introduction of the National AMBER (America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) Alert plan used to locate missing and abducted children, Silver Alert programs began to emerge. These programs use the same infrastructure and approach to find a different missing population, cognitively impaired older adults. By late…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the association of baseline network type and 7-year mortality risk in later life. Design and Methods: We executed secondary analysis of all-cause mortality in Israel using data from a 1997 national survey of adults aged 60 and older (N = 5,055) that was linked to records from the National Death…

Describes errors regarding the meaning of increase in life expectancy found in 7 of 17 gerontology textbooks examined. Discusses the myth that increase in life expectancy at birth indicates an increase in life span. Attempts to clarify the nature of this increase and reviews common misconceptions concerning it. (NRB)

Develops and applies methodology for systematically examining dependency of alternative demographic groups within the context of total dependency ratio using Bureau of Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Although total dependency ratio increases as population ages, those under 16 will continue as the largest dependent group in future…

Aging alone does not deter political participation. Income and a feeling of pessimism are more important factors. Participation can be improved by enhancing social and economic conditions among the elderly and reducing negative stereotypes. (JAC)